Photographic camera with multi-purpose exposure-parameter adjuster

ABSTRACT

A slide member is slid by the user for adjusting the value of an exposure parameter, such as exposure-aperture size or exposure duration. The slide member has an inoperative setting and various operative settings, some of which are associated with different exposure-parameter values, others of which are additionally or alternatively associated with other functions and/or operating modes, the user necessarily often referring to the slide member because of its multi-purpose control actions. Electrical switch means are furthermore responsive to the setting of the slide member. A mechanical indicator mechanism of simple design, involving in the preferred embodiment a blocking blade coupled to the slide member and moving into and out of a little indicator window, quickly indicates to the user whether the slide member is in its inoperative setting or one of its various operative settings. Preferably, battery-connect action for a variety of camera circuits occurs when the slide member is moved out of its inoperative setting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns photographic cameras of the type providedwith a selector member employed by the user to adjust at least oneexposure parameter, such as exposure-aperture size and/or exposureduration, etc., and furthermore also employed by the user to activate atleast one electrical switch whose activation effects at least onefurther control or test operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the general object of the invention to provide a multi-purposeexposure-parameter selector or adjuster system having an inoperativesetting and various operative settings into which the adjuster is movedto adjust the value of an exposure parameter and/or to initiate and/orenable one or more electrical operations performed by circuitry internalto the camera, but furthermore provided with means for keeping the userinformed, in a simple way, concerning the setting of the multi-purposeexposure-parameter selector structure, especially such that the user beinformed whether the selector structure is in one of its variousoperative settings or in its inoperative setting.

In accordance with the present invention, use is made of a mechanicalindicating means which provides the user with a first or a secondvisible indication, alternatively. One indication is provided when theexposure-parameter selector structure is in its inoperative setting andthe other when the selector structure is in one of its operativesettings.

In accordance with the present invention, mechanical indicating means,rather directly coupled to the exposure-parameter selector structureitself, can be employed with minimum expense, and certainly without theneed for electrical or electronic indicating circuitry, to inform theuser of the setting of the multi-purpose exposure-parameter selectorstructure, and especially to inform the user whether the selectorstructure is or is not in its inoperative setting. This is particularlyimportant when displacement of the exposure-parameter selector structurefrom its inoperative setting closes the main battery-connect switch forthe camera, or initiates or enables the initiation of operation of anyof various ones of the camera's internal circuits, such as itsexposure-control circuitry, its scene-light evaluating circuitry, itselectric-motor film-transport system, and the like.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the mechanical indicatingmeans comprises a blade coupled to the exposure-parameter selectorstructure by a cam-and-follower coupling and movable, in dependence uponthe setting of the selector structure, into and out of a little viewingwindow on the housing of the camera, so as to, most preferably, cover oruncover a legible indicium which is viewable by the user through suchlittle window when the covering blade is in its uncovering position.

In order that the legible indicium viewable through such little windowbe particularly legible when the covering blade is in its uncoveringposition, it is preferred that the little viewing window accommodate asmall lens. In any event, it is preferred that the viewing windowaccommodate a transparent element through which such indicium, andpreferably also the covering blade, be viewed.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, when theexposure-parameter selector structure is in its inoperative setting, apart thereof, or a part coupled thereto, blocks the user-operatedexposure-initiating means of the camera against the possibility ofexposure initiation, without preventing exposure initiation when theselector structure is moved to one of its operative settings.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred but nevertheless merelyexemplary embodiment of the present invention, and;

FIG. 2 is a schematic circuit diagram of circuitry cooperating with theadjusting and selector mechanism of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIG. 1 numeral 1 denotes part of the upper face of the housing of aphotographic camera. Housing 1 is provided with an elongated cut-out 2,up through which projects a generally oval member 3 manually engaged bythe user and carried on a lengthwise slideable elongated slide 4. Themanually engaged member 3 is annular and surrounds a pushbutton 5 alsoof generally oval shape, pushbutton 5 being movable within manuallyengaged member 3 in the direction perpendicular to the direction in wichmanually engaged member 3 can be shifted.

A generally harness-shaped spring contact member 6 is located belowslide 4 and is secured through slide 4 to the pushbutton 5, first sothat spring contact member 6 slide as slide 4 slides, and second so thatwhen pushbutton 5 is depressed the right portion of spring contactmember 6 likewise be depressed. The resilience of spring contact member6 is additionally drawn upon to provide a spring biasing force whichreturns pushbutton 5 to its undepressed position when the user lets goof button 5. Spring contact member 6 is provided with four contactportions 7, 8, 9 and 10.

When slide 3, 4 is in its illustrated leftmost position, the two contactportions 7, 8 are both in conductive engagement with a stationaryconductive strip 11. The shape of spring contact member 6 is such thatcontact portions 7, 8 bear down upon conductive strip 11 without theneed for the user to depress pushbutton 5. This leftmost position ofslide 3, 4 is its starting or inoperative position. When slide 3, 4 ismanually shifted rightwards out of its inoperative position into one ofits operative positions, contact portion 7 begins to ride in conductiveengagement upon a stationary contact strip 12, as a result of which aconductive connection becomes established between the terminal 13 ofcontact strip 11 and the terminal 14 of contact strip 12. In a mannerdescribed below, the two terminals 13, 14 are employed as an electricalswitch.

The contact portions 9 and 10 of spring contact member 6 are located tobe engageable with respective ones of two further contact strips 15, 17,but are not normally at an elevation resulting in such engagement andmust be pressed down into conductive engagement with such strips bydepression of pushbutton 5.

For all operative positions of slide 3, 4, depression of pushbutton 5results in the establishment of conductive engagement between theterminal 16 of contact strip 15 and the terminal 13 of contact strip 11.In a manner described below, the two terminals 13 and 16 are employed toconstitute a further electrical switch.

When slide 3, 4 is in its rightmost end position, depression ofpushbutton 5 causes contact portion 10 to conductively engage contactstrip 17, thereby establishing an electrical connection between theterminals 16, 18 of the two contact strips 15, 17. The two terminal 16and 18 are employed in this embodiment to constitute a still furtherelectrical switch. Actually, if slide 3, 4 is in its right-most endposition and pushbutton 5 is depressed, conductive engagement of allfour terminals 13, 14, 16, 18 to one another results, in the illustratedexemplary embodiment.

The upper part of camera housng 1 is provided with a small viewingwindow 19, preferably accommodating a small lens. Located behind theviewing window 19 is the indicium "0", which in a manner described belowis visible through window 19 only when the slide 3, 4 is in its leftmostor inoperative position. The appearance of such "0" in window 19 informsthe user that the camera's battery is unconnected to the circuitspowered by it, in the illustrated exemplary embodiment.

The rear edge (as viewed in FIG. 1) of slide 4 is provided with acamming surface 20 which controls the angular position of a horizontallypivotable follower lever 21. Connected to follower lever 21 is a leverextension 22 at the end of which there depends a pin which tracks alongthe camming surface 23 of a small cam drum 24 mounted for rotation abouta horizontal axis. A tension spring 25 urges the small cam drum 24counterclockwise, and thereby maintains engagement between leverextension 22 and camming surface 23, and likewise between follower lever21 and camming surface 20.

At its left end, follower lever 21 carries a covering blade 25a mountedfor horizontal swinging movement. A (non-illustrated) biasing springnormally maintains blade 25a in a position covering the indicium "0" sothat the latter not be visible through viewing window 19 when slide 3, 4is in any of its operative positions. When slide 3, 4 is moved to itsleftmost, inoperative position, a control projection 26 on it displacesblade 25a to unblocking position, so that the "0" be visible in window19. Preferably, the upper face of covering blade 25a is colored red oranother conspicuous color, so that a glance at the window 19 will informthe user whether the slide 3, 4 is in operative position.

The small cam drum 24 serves to adjust the size of the camera's(non-illustrated) exposure aperture. In particular, rotation of drum 24effects rotation of two control cams 27, 28. Control cam 27 is coupled,in per se conventional manner, to the camera's exposure-aperturediaphragm and adjusts its size in dependence upon the angular positionof drum 24. Control cam 28 is coupled, likewise in conventional manner,to a further, simulator diaphragm located in front of a photosensitiveelement 30, shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2 the simulator aperture 29 has theform of an optical filter of progressively varying transmittance,positioned in front of photosensitive element 30, and operative, underthe action of control cam 28, for varying the fraction of incident lightactually reaching element 30 in simple correspondence to the size of theexposure aperture established by control cam 27.

Slide 4 is provided at its right end with an extension 31 at the rightend of which is a blocking projection 33. Numeral 32 denotes a triggerlever which, when depressed due to depression by the user of anelastic-diaphragm trigger button 34, triggers performance of anexposure. When slide 3, 4 is in its leftmost, inoperative position,blocking projection 33 is located in the path of movement of the triggerlever 32, thereby preventing the triggering of an exposure. As slide 3,4 is shifted rightwards out of its leftmost, inoperative position, itsets the camera's exposure aperture and also the aperture simulator 29to progressively smaller sizes, starting from maximum aperture. A firstpart of the range of movement of slide 3, 4 is associated withflash-lamp exposures. For example, there may be two distinctflash-lamp-exposure settings, established by a springy detent 35engaging notches on the side of the slide 4 and used only when a lampexposure is to be made. In the illustrated embodiment, there ispin-and-slot coupled to slide 4 a lever or link 36 which is in turnarticulately coupled to the left end of an angled slider 37 operative,when slide 4 has been moved to one of its flash-lamp-exposure settings,for performing functions attendant to flash-lamp exposures. Chief amongthese functions is that slide 36 close a switch connected in the currentpath of the camera's flash unit, e.g., a power-connect switch connectedbetween the circuitry of the flash unit and the camera's battery or theflash unit's own battery if it comes as a removable attachment providedwith a battery of its own. Slide 36 may also implement various otherflash-related functions, such as modifying the duration of the flash,e.g., by modifying the impedance in the current path of the flash unit'stimer, etc.

Numeral 38 denotes an electric motor used to transport film and torewind or reset the camera shutter mechanism, after the shutter has beentriggered to perform an exposure.

In the exemplary circuit depicted in FIG. 2, the photoresistor 30 isconnected in series with two resistors 39, 40 to form a light-dependentvoltage divider, having a tap intermediate elements 30 and 39. A secondor reference voltage divider is constituted by resistors 41, 42 and 43.The voltage-divider tap intermediate photoresistor 30 and resistor 39 isconnected to the inverting input of an operational amplifier 44 and tothe non-inverting input of an operational amplifier 45. Thevoltage-divider tap between the resistors 41 and 42 is connected to thenon-inverting input of operational amplifier 44, and the voltage-dividertap between resistors 42 and 43 is connected to the inverting input ofoperational amplifier 45. Connected to the outputs of the twooperational amplifiers 44, 45 are the inputs of respective thresholdstages 46, 47, whose outputs are connected to the cathodes of respectivelight-emitting diodes 48, 49, the anodes of these diodes being connectedto the positive terminal of the camera's battery 50. When the size ofthe camera's exposure aperture is too small, one of the two LED's 48, 49lights up, and when too large the other LED lights up, to indicate tothe user the direction in which he should manually shift slide 3, 4 toestablish the correct exposure-aperture size. To this end, the two LED's48, 49 can be configured, or located behind apertures configured, asarrows and be located or visible in the camera's viewfinder, to informthe user as directly as possible of the sence of the exposure-apertureerror.

The negative terminal of the camera's motor battery 50 is permanentlyconnected to terminal 14 of contact strip 12. When slide 3, 4 is shiftedrightwards out of inoperative position, it conductively connectsterminal 14 to terminal 13 of contact strip 11, the spring contactmember 6 in this respect acting as the main power-connect switch for thecamera's control circuitry.

Provided that manual slide 3, 4 is not in its leftmost, inoperativesetting, depression of pushbutton 5 will at least cause contact portion9 of spring contact member 6 to electrically engage contact strip 15,thereby electrically connecting strip terminal 16 to strip terminal 13.As shown at 9 in FIG. 2, this has the result that the illustratedlight-responsive circuitry located to the left of battery 50 becomesoperatively connected to the battery. Thus, depression of pushbutton 5with the slide 3, 4 not in inoperative position, activates thelight-responsive circuitry, and one or the other of the two LED's 48, 49then lights up to indicate the direction in which slide 3, 4 ought to bemoved to correct the aperture-size error, and if the aperture error iszero both LED's 48, 49 light up (or alternatively, neither of them).

The user can perform a test of battery condition by first shifting slide3, 4 all the way to its rightmost end position and then depressingpushbutton 5, whereupon contact portion 10 of spring contact member 6will engage contact strip 17 as contact portion 9 engages contact strip15, thereby connecting together the two strip terminals 16, 18. As shownat 10 in FIG. 2, this action serves to connect, directly across battery50, the series connection of one LED 48 and a test resistor 51. Theresistance of test resistor 51 is selected high enough so that thevoltage across and current flowing through LED 48 will be sufficient tolight up LED 48, only if the battery 50 has enough remaining capacity toperform the functions to which the test relates; principally, such testwould, for example, serve to ascertain whether the remaining capacity ofbattery 50, although perhaps sufficient for the scene-light indicatorcircuitry, is furthermore sufficient for energization of motor 38, motor38 serving to transport film and rewind or reset the camera's shuttermechanism after each exposure.

For the purposes of explanation, motor 38 is assumed to be afilm-transport and shutter-resetting motor, e.g., such as forms part ofthe film-transport and camera-control mechanism disclosed in commonlyowned, copending application Ser. No. 939,374 filed Sept. 5, 1978 U.S.Pat. No. 4,202,616. When the user depresses the camera release button34, such mechanism becomes triggered, an elongated control rod isspring-driven in a first direction tripping the shutter in the process,whereupon the elongated control rol becomes coupled to and driven by themotor in the opposite second direction back to its starting position, atwhich point it decouples from the motor, the rod rewinding the shuttermechanism in the course of its second-direction stroke. Reference may behad to the application just identified for details of such a mechanism.In the present instance, and for explanatory purposes only, it is onlythe electrical switches cooperating with such mechanism which are ofinterest, and only these are shown in FIG. 2.

Numeral 62 denotes a switch which closes when the user depresses triggerbutton 34, and stays closed only so long as the user maintains triggerbutton 34 depressed. Closing of switch 62 does not, in itself, energizetransport motor 38, but instead merely prepares the motor-energizationcircuitry for energization.

Numeral 63 denotes a switch which closes when, subsequent to thepressing down of trigger button 34, the camera's shutter mechanism hasperformed both an opening and then a closing movement; i.e., switch 63closes after the camera's shutter mechanism has fully converted from itstriggerable set state to its unset state in which it must be resetbefore it again becomes triggerable.

Numeral 64 denotes a centrifugal switch which closes when motor 38reaches full operating speed. When centrifugal switch 64 is open, astationary contact 64 is connectable to the negative terminal of battery50 only via switches 62 and 63, so that with motor 38 at a speed lowerthan full operating speed, motor 38 can be energized only if both ofswitches 62 and 63 are closed. When centrifugal switch 64 is closed,stationary contact is connected to the negative terminal of motorbattery 50 cirectly, i.e., not through the intermediary of switches 62and 63, so that one or both of these latter two switches can openwithout discontinuing motor operation.

Numeral 52 denotes a changeover switch having two settings, in one ofwhich motor 38 is short-circuited, and in the other of which the lowerterminal of motor 38 is connectable via contact 61 to the negativeterminal of battery 50. Here, the changeover switch 52 is depicted as atwo-legged torsion-spring contact, the left leg of which permanentlybears against a stationary contact 53, and the right leg of whichengages either a stationary contact 54 (to short-circuit motor 38) orelse the aforementioned contact 61 (to connect motor 38 to the negativebattery terminal). In particular, changeover switch 52 begins to engagecontact 61, to enable motor 38 to be energized after the camera'sshutter has converted from set to unset state and needs to be reset.After the motor 38 has reset the camera's shutter mechanism, itcontinues to operate until the completion of a one-frame film-transportmovement, and at the end of such movement a perforation feeler typicallyenters into the perforation of the next film frame, in response to whichchangeover switch 52 moves back into engagement with contact 54, therebydisconnecting motor 38 from power and furthermore short-circuiting itfor the sake of a quick braking action.

Numeral 55 denotes the flash unit of the camera. Flash unit 55 comprisestwo batteries 56, 57 of its own, a storage capacitor 58, and aconventional control circuit 59 for firing and possibly also quenching aflash tube 60. Storage capacitor 58 charges off batteries 56, 57irrespective of the setting of changeover switch 52. Capacitor 58additionally charges off of motor battery 50, but only when changeoverswitch 52 is in the setting thereof short-circuiting motor 38. Whenchangeover switch 52 is in its illustrated setting, connecting the lowerterminal of motor 38 to the negative terminal of camera battery 50,capacitor 58 is prevented from charging off of battery 50, so that theload current drawn by flash unit 55 at such time not interfere withproper operation of motor 38, and vice versa.

In particular, when motor 38 is running during film-transport and/orshutter-resetting operations, the upper input terminal of flash unit 55is connected to the negative terminal of battery 50, via contact 53,switch member 52 and contact 61. The lower input terminal of flash unit55 is likewise connected to the negative terminal of battery 50, viaterminals 13 and 14. With both the upper and the lower input terminal offlash unit 55 connected to the negative terminal of battery 50, thebattery 50 is not connected across the input terminals of the flashunit, and accordingly the flash unit cannot draw current from battery50. At the same time, however, both input terminals of flash unit 55 areconductively connected together, i.e., both being connected to thenegative terminal of battery 50, so that storage capacitor 58 isconnected directly acrosss flash-unit batteries 56, 57 and canaccordingly be charged off the latter.

Although, as illustrated, the flash-unit batteries 56, 57 becomedirectly connected across storage capacitor 58 when motor 38 is inshort-circuited state, it will be understood that the flash unit 55might be of the type in which a voltage source is not directly connectedacross a storage capacitor but instead across the input terminals of aD.C.-D.C. converter having an output connected across the storagecapacitor, in which case the short-circuited state of motor 38 would beassociated with such a mode of connection. Likewise, it will beunderstood that the flash unit 55 may not be provided with batteries 56,57 of its own, especially if unit 55 is a built-in unit and not aremovable attachment; in that case, flash unit 55 would draw currentexclusively when motor 38 is not running. Especially in the case of abuilt-in flash-lamp unit, the slide 37 of FIG. 1, as already stated, isadvantageously employed to close an electrical switch, e.g., in theoperating-voltage line of control stage 59, to ready the flash unit foroperation when manual slide 3, 4 is shifted to one of its flash-exposuresettings.

In the illustrated, exemplary embodiment, the shifted position of manualslide 3, 4 rather directly adjusts exposure-aperture size, via the smallcam drum 24. It will be understood, however, that the position of manualslide 3, 4 could also be employed to adjust the subject-distance settingof the camera's exposure objective. Likewise, manual slide 3, 4 couldalso be used to adjust exposure duration, by varying the impedance ofthe time-constant stage of an exposure-duration control circuit, eitherdirectly in the electrical sense or indirectly in the case ofphotoelement-controlled timing circuits by modifying the amount of lightincident upon the timing circuit's photoelement. The illustrated uses ofmanual slide 3, 4, although presently preferred, will be understood tobe examples of such uses.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful application in other types ofcircuits and constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in acontrol mechanism and circuit which adjusts exposure-aperture size andcommands certain specified control and monitoring operations, it is notintended to be limited to the details shown, since various modificationsand structural changes may be made without departing in any way from thespirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge,readily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent isset forth in the appended claims:
 1. A user-operable mechanism forvarying an exposure parameter of a camera with a housing in order toadjust such parameter to correspond with ambient light conditions asdetermined by an electronic exposure computer in a manner that power tothe computer can be turned on and off by operation of the mechanism andthe camera will be disabled from exposing a frame when power to theexposure computer is turned off, the mechanism further operating in amanner that a user is informed when the power to the exposure computeris turned off and on by appearance and disappearance of an indicatorlocated on the camera, comprising:a control horizontally displaceableand vertically depressable by a user, the control sliding in anelongated slot in the housing between a first position and a secondposition; a shutter button located on the camera housing; an elongatedslide connected to the control and movable therewith, the slide having aprojection which is so located that when the control is located in thefirst position the projection interferes with motion of the shutterbutton so as to prevent a user from operating the shutter button whileallowing the shutter button to be operated by a user when the control isdisplaced from the first position; a first switch connected to the slideand the exposure computer and operating in a manner that when thecontrol is in the first position the first switch is opened, and whenthe control is displaced from the first position the first switch isclosed, whereby power to the exposure computer is turned on and off inresponse to displacement of the control; a light-transmitting windowlocated on the housing; a plaque upon which a visual indication islocated, the plaque being located so that the indication is viewablethrough the window; and a flag connected to the control and movable withdisplacement thereof, the flag being interposed between the window andthe plaque when the control is in the first position and beinguninterposed therebetween when the control is displaced from the firstposition.
 2. The mechanism defined by claim 1, further including asecond switch connected to the control and to the exposure computer, thesecond switch being connected in series with the first switch and beingopened when the control is undepressed and closed when the control isdepressed, whereby the exposure computer is energized when the controlis displaced from the first position and the control is depressed and isunenergized otherwise.
 3. The mechanism defined by claim 1, wherein thewindow is a lens.
 4. The mechanism defined by claim 1, wherein the firstswitch is a main power switch which supplies power to and cuts power offfrom all electrically operated components located within and attached tothe camera.
 5. The mechanism defined by claim 2, further including athird switch connected to the control in a manner than when the controlis displaced to the second position and is then depressed, the thirdswitch will energize a battery check circuit.
 6. The mechanism definedby claim 5, wherein all switches are formed by a spring and contactstrips, the spring being a conductive and flexible element fixed to thecontrol and movable therewith and all contact strips being fixed to thecamera in positions such that selected strips can be connected anddisconnected from each other through the spring by contact between thespring and the strips.
 7. The mechanism defined by claim 6, wherein thespring and strips are elongated parallel to the slide.
 8. The mechanismdefined by claim 1, further including linkage mechanically connectingthe control and an optical filter of varying transmittance and movingthe filter in accordance with movement of the control.
 9. The mechanismdefined by claim 1, wherein the flag is colored.